Drucilla Barker, director of the women's and gender studies program at the University of South Carolina, said Gov. Nikki Haley's remarks were contradictory.

"My follow-up question to her would have been, 'Isn't contraception and the right to control when you're going to get pregnant essential to getting a good job?'" Barker said. "If women can't control their births or can only control them in a very difficult way, they're not going to achieve equality in the workforce."

The comment raised eyebrows at the women's studies program at College of Charleston, too.

"That is a rather idiotic statement, and it's an example of how out of touch she is with women of South Carolina and the nation. I - and a lot of other women - care about contraceptives and definitely care what happens to our bodies and our reproductive rights," women's studies major Lindsey Breitwieser said.